Conveyer for chocolate products



July 29-, 1941. F. NESTMANN CONVEYER FOR CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS Filed May 31, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet l .4

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July 29, 1941@ F. NESTMANN 2,251,197 CONVEYER FOR CHOCOLATE PRODUCTS Filed Ma 31, 1938 v s Sheets-Sheet 3 Fig.4-

Patented July 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

Fritz Nestmann, Dresden, Germany, assignor to the firm oi J. M. Lehmann, Dresden,

Application May 31', 1938, Serial No. 210,999

In Germany June 9 Claims. (01.198-85) This invention relates to a cooling, heating and drying device, particularly for chocolate products.

Cooling of chocolate articles disposed in flrm molds is effected by devices having vertical conveyers which insure little space.

Coated articles on the other hand that are to be cooled and dried do not come out-of the machine disposed in firm molds but are individually thorough cooling and require arranged on a band conveyer from which they are taken 01!, usually by means of an additional band conveyer closely adjacent the first one. In the known devices, the articles taken oii in the manner indicated are. then guided through cooling or drying tunnels of corresponding length, which are arranged around the band conveyer.

As'the tunnel'must be quite long to insure effecreleased by the upper portion into the plane of the-transverse band conveyer, transversely moving them under the conveyer band after removal of the articles, raisingthem again upto the level oi the plane of the band for the reception of fresh articles and trahsmitting' them to the conveyer that is moving up.

It only one support carrier is to be released or engaged in this manner, the vertical conveyers ferred to in Fig. 1; Fig. 2a is the right end portion of Fig. 2; Fig. 3, a partial view oithe conveying means supplying the sheets to, and delivering them from, the refrigerator; Fig. 4 shows the passage of the hurdles iromthe conveyer portion disposed above the horizontal band conveyer to the lower conveyer portion; Figs. 5 to 7 illustrate also the passage of the hurdles through the horizontal conveying means and the special construction of the vertical conveying means for the' hurdles; .Fig. 8 shows a niodifica'tion in which the vertical conveyers alternately move up and down; and Fig. 9 diagrammatically shows the guiding 01' the sheets at the points of reversal of the conveyer 3.

Within the refrigerator hurdles serve as carriers for the sheets of paper which support the articles to be cooled. Each hurdle has a charging area generally correspondinggto the size of the sheet y necessary to pass through this cycle, but. the

must have intermittent motion, so that during upward motion of one conveyer the other one must remain stationary and during down-ward motion of one conveyer the other one must remain stationary also. For accelerated operation and simultaneous intermittent motion of both conveyers it is only necessary to simultaneously raise or lower two superposed support carriers.-

By way of example, the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawingsin which two embodiments oi the invention are shown and Fig- ,lurel is a diagrammatic view showing the circular a view of a device embodying the features rttrouble is that the cycle of the hurdles l is crossed by the horizontal conveyer 3 which affects the circular motion of the sheets of paper For this purpose, the horizontal conveyer 3 comprises parallel chains spaced so as to permit the hurdles l to be guided-through between both chains which possess stops 5 oppositely arranged relative to one another and abutting against cross bars 6 to which the sheets 4 are secured. In this manner the sheets '4 are driven .atthe' motion 01' the chain 3. T

In the coating machine I the articles to be icoated'with' chocolate rest on a band conveyer I06 of the lattice or sieve-type to facilitate the removal of excess'chocolate ted during the coating operation. The band conveyerl" of the coating machine 1 and the conveyer 3 o! the cooling device rotate in the same direction; both conveying means lying'in the same plane and their strands running on and ofi are guided in acute-angled fashion so as to insure the passage of the articles from one conveying meansto the it is necessary to provide for the bars 6 a bearlng surfacewhlch in combination with the stops.

5 insuressafe guiding of meters i-and thereby the chain '29 in the 2 proper conveyance of the sheets 4. Only in this manner can the sheets 4 rotate in an orderly way and during rotation pass within range of the band conveyer of the coating machine I, which charges them with the articles to be cooled. The

sheets are then brought into,the cooling device.

delivery table 9. Whenthe hurdles are in this position of alinement with the tables 8 and 9, a

sheet 4 is introduced into the hurdle next to the table 8 and-delivered from the hurdle closest to the table 9.

This feeding method is possible only if the hurdles I are not directly superposed but are spaced so as to permit the horizontal conveying means to act. For sheet delivery the hurdles I possessclearances 36 to pile up the hurdles when sheets are drawn off. The hurdle I nearest to the table 8, after receipt of the sheet,'is conveyed upwardly by the vertical conveying means, I

The hurdle I closest to the table 9, from which the sheet has been removed, is, however, moved downwardly. As mentioned before, the conveyer moving transversely to the vertical conveyers requires a special construction of the latter, since the hurdles moved by the vertical conveyers descrlbe a closed cycle.

Fig. 4 shows how the passage of the hurdles I through the horizontal conveying means is effected. The direction of the arrows indicates that inthe example shown the hurdles are mov-'- ing down carriedby angles III which are secured to the transfer chains II in known manner. These transfer means terminate, however, above the horizontal chains 3 and guide the hurdles only within range of the chains 3 and transmit them to conveying means which receive them and pass them between the chains 3.

The lowermost hurdle engaged from below by the slide I4 is placed by the latter upon rolls 38 on which it is displaced to the left by the nose I! of the conveying chain I8 which passes over the sprocket wheels I9 and 20 and is thus brought within range of an ascending slide 2I which can be displaced along the guides 22, 23. Fig. 2 shows how the slides I4 and 2| are brought into connection with one another by a cross rod 24. They form a sort of balance on which the hurdles located above the slide I4 are moved down and those positioned above the slide 2| are moved up.

There are also levers I2 provided for the upward motion of the hurdles I for engaging the hurdles brought up by the slide from below and holding them on a level with the conveyer chain 3 to introduce the sheet 4. After the sheet has been put on,- the slide 2I is moved up still farther until the hurdle is broughtwithin range of the angles or drivers III of the conveying chain II. This chain drives the hurdles in known manner, which, as indicated in Fig, 2, pass within range of drivers 25 secured to the conveying chain 29. The conveying chain 29 passes over the sprocket'wheels 21, '28 effecting motion of direction of the arrow and passing the uppermost hurdle of the left-hand conveyor to the right-hand conveyer which moves it down. During the transverse displacement the conveyers must be stopped.

It is further possible to construct the vertical conveyers shown in Fig. 4 and representing chains provided with angles in a different manner;

In this instance, as indicated in Figs. 5 to 8, the hurdles I possess obliquely bent edges 29 to facilitate accurate piling of the hurdles. It is possible to arrange quite a number of hurdles, one above the other, in' this way. Instead of the chains used for moving the hurdles up and down pistons 3!, 32 are provided which during descent move past the bent up edges 29 of the hurdles I and engage them from below. During the as- .cent they guide the hurdles engaged by them upwardly and thereby the entire set of hurdles arranged on the engaged hurdle. Since at each side of a hurdle two pistons 3|, 32 are provided, they can operate alternately, one holding the hurdle in a certain position and the other one moving down in themeantime and engages the next hurdles from below.

Figs. 5 to 7 show the various positions which occur while the hurdles are moving up and through the conveying chain 3. Fig. 5 shows the lowermost hurdle disposed on a conveying rail 33. The next hurdle is engaged from below by the piston 32 and the next one by the piston 3i. The piston 3| goes up and guides the hurdle with which it is associated as well as the hurdles superposed thereon in upward direction. The superposed set of hurdles has thus been separated, and the transverse conveying means coacting with the chain 3 can now begin to operate and place a sheet 4 on the hurdle exposed within range of the chain 3. During the'ascent of the piston 3| the piston 32 has moved down and engaged from below the lowermost hurdle disposed on the rail 33, as shown in Fig. 6. Fig. '7 shows how thereupon during the ascent of the piston 32 the lowermost hurdle is brought again on a level with the conveying chain 3 and simultaneously connection with the superposed hurdles is established, so that the piston 3i can release them and, as indicated in Fig. 5, engage again a lower-hurdle. This cycle is then repeated again including the feeding of the lowermost hurdle on the rail 33. In the same manner as the hurdles are lifted, lowering thereof is effected by means of the adjacent conveyer. Transverse motion of the hurdles on top and below can be similarly effected by means of the conveyer chains I8 and 55 23, as indicated in Figs. 2 and 4.

The deviceis driven as follows:

(9 In the bearing brackets 40, ll the driving shaft 42 is rotatably arranged and only partly shown in the drawings for the sake of clearness. The end of the shaft 42 facing the bracket 4| supports a worm 43 which is in mesh with a worm gear 44 firmly-arranged on a shaft 45 rotatably disposed in the machine frame. Firmly connected with the shaft 45' is a sprocket 46 from which .by means of the chain 41 a sprocket 48 on a shaft" is driven which is also rotatable in the machine frame and has secured thereto a toothed'wheel 50 meshing with a toothed wheel 5I on a shaft 52. The shaft 62 supports, fur- 7 thermore, the sprocket wheel 34 over which the chain 3 passes. By means of the sprocket wheel 34 drive of the chain 3 is effected, the other sprockets connected with the chain 3 .merely serve for guiding purposes.

75 The shaft 52 further supports a sprocket wheel u whichwith the aid of the chain u drives the sprocket II on the shaft- It supporting also a roller 51 over which the conveying band fl runs which is therefore driven by the roller 51.

The shaft 4! is provided with a sprocket It which drives the sprocket 22 on the shaft I by. means of the chain. 5!. The shaft I, supports a sprocket wheel 62 from which the sprocket it on the shaft 65 is driven by means of the chain it. The shaft ii is further provided with a disc it which cooperates with a Maltese cross 81 arranged on the shaft 6!. The disc 68 is for this purpose provided in known manner with a driv ing pin 68 which engages the clearances ll of the Maltese cross 51 and thereby effects intermittent rotation of the cross. The shaft '2 is provided with a sprocket wheel II which engages a sprocketwheel 13 on a shaft It by means of the chain I2. The shaft It supports a bevel gear IS in mesh with the bevel gears It, I1 and driving them and their shafts. As the shafts move in opposite directions, the conveyers will also be started oppositely and intermittentlyowing to the intermittent drive by means of the Maltese cross 61. i v

Since tlfi sprocket wheel 2! is firmly arranged on the shaft GI, it will cooperate in the rotationthereof and transmits its motion to the sprocket wheel II by means of the chain It while the stops.

I1 carry along the hurdles I located on the rolls 38. To limit the stroke of the stops II the latter are rhovably disposed on the conveying chain It at 18, though they are guided with their lower face I! along the paths to and kept in upright position, Fig. 2, asv long as they are passing over the guide 80. When the stops II reach the end II of the path 20, they can turn about their shaft II, sothat when theyjea've the path 82 the displacement of the hurdles I is completed'also.

The stops II have, however, still another function to fulfil. They engagehehind the stops 22 disposed on the chain 22 and keep on moving this chain until, engagement between the stops I1 and 82 ceases. 'For limiting this engagement another guide rail BI is provided which maintains the steps I! in vertical position. As long as the stops I! slide along the guide path It, they find 'u, a the slides It, 2| are provided for efl'ecting,

vertical displacement of the hurdles.

The sprocket v I 2 is firmly arranged on the shaft I III supporting an additional sprocket wheel III over which the chain I22 runs which drives the sprocket wheel I03 on the shaft Ill. The shaft Illlsupports also the sprocket wheel 21 which drives the chain 29 passing over the sprocket 22 and the'stops 25 which displace the hurdles! in the direction of the arrow: For limiting 'the path along which the stops 25 are effective, guide paths II! are provided in a similar manner as described above.

The drive of the conveyor I06 of the coating machine I is brought about by the worm gear IIII arranged on the shaft 42 within-range of the bearing bracket 40. The worm gear I" is'in mesh with a worm gear I08 on the shaft I" which supports a sprocket wheel I III which drives the sprocket wheeltI I2 on the shaft II I by means of the chain III. On the shaft II3 the driving 1 roller II 4 for the 'conveyer IIG is disposed.

It should be noted that, though only one chain and sprocket wheel have been mentioned above,

- at'a level with the chains 3 to. enable the stops enough support and cannot rotate. This support ceases, however, whenthe stops I! leave the path It, so that rotation of the stops becomes possible and theycannot transmit power any more with the result that the motion of the chain 83 is- 5 thereof to withdraw the sheets 4. For holding the hurdles atthis level levers I2 are provided which oscillate on the shaft I 2 and are drawn by springs I'Ii' against stationary stops I l 6. After withdrawal of the sheets the hurdles must be moved farther down, which necessitates rotation of the levers I2 about their shaft I2 by means of a the rods 1 rotatably articulated at III-to the other end IIB of the levers I2. These rods II! are vertically suspended by their own weightwhich, however, cannot be converted into a motion of the levers I2, because the force of the spring' II! which holds the lever to the %top II is greater. when during ascent of the member 82, part J20 strikes against the stop I2I on the rod I II, the latter will be forced up and the lever I2 laterally swung out, so that the hurdle previously supported thereby can move down. The n gear members arranged on the other side of the device are constructed symmetrically. I

'When the levers I2 are moved toward the hurdles they engage such hurdles from below and-hold them exactly in the plane of thetablea 8 and I so that the chains 3 may feed the sheets finished; The chain It supports several equidistantly spaced stops 82 distributed'in such mannerthat'after a stop II has left the guide path It a fresh stop 82 is placed in the way of the next stop II to insure intermittent motion of the chain 22 which passes over the sprockets 25, 88 on the shafts 21, 88. On the shaft 22 a disc 89 is firmly disposed which with a pin 80 engages a slot II of longitudinal configuration in the widening portion 92 of the lever 24 capable of rotating about the shaft 33.

During motion of the chain 83 the disc 88 with its pin 20 isrotated also and, owingto the engagement of the slot 2| by the pin 00, the lever 24 alternately moved to and fro about its shaft 93." The lever 24 possesses oblong holes 94, 85

which cooperate with pins N, 21 firmly arranged t to the hurdles or remove them therefrom. The angle irons It release one hurdle at a time and place it directly upon the hurdle' underneath. 1 The two superposed hurdles are. then displaced by a slide Il capable of vertical downward movement along the guides I5 and I6.

Before the levers I2 are released, the slide II has gone up and directly engaged under the hurdleheld by the levers I2. Du n release of the levers I2 the hurdle is therefore supported by the slide Ilwhich then moves down and places the hurdle on the rolls 38 whilst the levers I2 immediately pass'into a position of readiness and engage the next hurdle from below. The levers I2 are arranged on each side in pairs. They are providedalso for the ascending cbn veyer where the hurdles coming from below con- II8 to I2I for effecting the swinging out of the levers I2 are omitted. v

Inthe construction shown in Figs. 5 to 'I the hurdles'are lifted by means of pistons $.22

guided in guides in and provided at their lower ends with rolls I23, I24 which cooperate with the dles away from and toward said conveying eccentrics I21, I28' firmly disposed on the shafts I25; I26. when the eccentrics I2'I I28 are rotated, the pistons 3|, 32 are moved up and down. The eccentrics I21, I28 are staggered relative to each other and the arrangement is such that one of the eccentrics does not cause any motion of the associated piston while the'other piston is being moved. The pistons 3|, 32 carry at their upper end the cross levers I29, I30 which at. I3I, I32 are articulated thereto. They can freely turn upwardly about their joints, but their downward motion is limited by the stops I33, I34. When the piston 32 moves up, the cross lever I30 is placed on the top I34 which engages therefore the hurdles at their edges 29 and guides them upwardly. On the other hand goes down, the cross lever F30 can swing about its joint I32, which causes no motion of the hurdles I but brings the cross lever out of reach of i the edge 29. I

The hurdles can be moved up or down by corresponding operation of the pistons.3I, 32.

The device substantially functions as follows:

After the sheets 4 have been charged by the conveyer of the coating machine I with the material to be cooled, they pass over the table 8 to the hurdles I. dles through the cooling device, first upwards, then sideways and downwards until they are again within range of the chain 3 which with its stops 5 takes them off from the hurdle concerned and carries them out of the machine. The

. sheets then deliver the material supported by them to the conveying means 31, Fig. 2. It is advisable to guide the endlesschain only once through the vertical transverse conveyers and toguide the return strand over guide rolls 34, 35 outside the range of the vertical conveying means.

The vertically guided hurdles may be delivered .in pairs, as described, that is, there are always two hurdles lowered and raised, so that the hurdles of one conveyer travel upwardly when those of the other move down. As shown in Fig. 8, conveying may further be carried out by causing the descending portion of the vertical conveyers to deliver a hurdle to a band conveyer arranged below, after removal of the sheet this hurdle being instantly placed into charging position by the band conveyer, provided with 'a sheet and lifted. When the construction shown in-Fig. 8 is employed,the two conveyers cannot simultaneously move up anddown but only alternately. 2

To avoid the difliculties which arise when 'inside the .coolingdevice a closed cycle of the hurdles is maintained, it is possible to construct the when the piston 32 The sheets travel with the hurmeans, a pair of tables located below said conveying 'means and adapted to pass through said conveying means, means for reciprocating said tables in opposite said hurdles before they have been passed by one of said tables through said conveying means from said means located above said conveying means and means for receiving said hurdles after they have been passed by the other table through said conveying means to above said conveying means.

2. An apparatus of the class described comprising conveying means for continuously advancing sheets, a series of hurdles for receiving said sheets from said conveying -means and returning the same thereto, endless means located above and at both sides of said conveying means for transporting said hurdles away from and toward said conveying means, a pair of tables located below said conveying means and adapted to pass through said conveying means, means for reciprocating said tables in opposite directions, means for receiving said hurdles before they have been passed by one of said tables'through said conveying means from said means located above said conveying means, means for receiving said hurdles after they have beenpassed by the other-table through said conveying means to said means-located above said conveying means and means for transferring hurdlesfrom one table to the other.

3. An apparatus of the class described comprising conveying means for continuously advancing sheets, a series of hurdles for receiving said sheets from said conveying means and returning the same thereto, a pair of endless means located above said conveying means and on each side thereof for transporting said hurdles away located below said conveying means and below vertical conveyers in such manner that within them no circular course of the hurdles occurs which can then be fed to and removed from the cooling device while the rotating sheets of paper are placed on or withdrawn from the hurdles. Even in a device of this type it would be possible according to the invention to provide a single endless conveyer which guides the sheets in a cycle and delivers them to and removes them from the vertical conveyers.

I claim: 4

1. An apparatus of the class described comprising conveying means for continuously advancing sheets, a series ofhurdles for receiving said'sheets irom said conveying means and returning the same thereto, means located above said conveying means for transporting said hureach pair of endless means and adapted to pass through said conveying means, means for reciprocating said tables in opposite direction, means for transferring hurdles from one table to the other, means including pivoted levers for receiving said hurdles before they have been passed by one of said tables through said conveying means from one of said pairs of endless means to one of said tables and means for receiving said hurdles after they have been passed by the other table through said conveying means to the other pair of endless means. i

4. An apparatus of the class described comprising conveying means for continuously advancing sheets, a series. of hurdles for receiving said sheets from said conveying means and returning thesamethereto, means located above said conveying means for transporting said hurdles away from and towards said conveyin means, a'pair of reciprocating tables located below said conveying means, means for transferringhurdles between said tables, a series of pivoted levers for supporting said hurdles so as to come within the field of action of said means located above said conveying means and means for operating said tables 50 as to bring the hurdles thereon within the field of action of said levers.

5. An apparatus of the class described comprising endless conveying means for continuously advancing sheets, a series of hurdles for' directions, means for receiving said means located.

receiving said sheets from said conveying means i and returning the same thereto, a'pair of endless transporting means located above said conveying means and on each side thereof for transporting said hurdles after receiving a sheet from said conveying means away from said conveying means, a second pair of endless means located above said conveying means and on each side passed through said' coinveying means by said tables and means for operating said levers and tables in proper timed sequence.

6. An apparatus of the class prising an endless conveying means for continuously advancing sheets along a horizontal path, a series of hurdles for receiving said sheets from described comsaid conveying means and returning the same thereto, a pair of endless conveyers located above said conveying means and on each side thereof for transporting said hurdles away from said conveying means, a second pair of endless means located above said conveying means andon each side thereof for transporting hurdles toward'said conveying means, means located above said pairs of endless means for transferring hurdles from one pair of endless means to the other, a. table located below said conveying means and below each pair of endless means, .means'for reciprocating said tables in opposite directions, means located on each side of said conveying means for receiving hurdles before and after they have been passed by'said tables through said conveying means into the field of action of said pairs of endless means; said receiving means operating immediately above said conveying means and immediately below .said conveying means and means for reciprocating said tables and said receiving means in timed sequence. l

'7. An apparatus of the class described comprising a pair of endless spaced synchronously intermittently operated chains having the upper runs thereof disposed substantially in a horizontal plane, oppositely mounted feeding means on said chains, carrier sheets, cross. bars on said carrier sheets cooperating with said feeding means, hurdles having a width less than the spacing of said chains cooperating with said sheets, means for intermittently moving said hurdles upwardly from a point below the upper runs of said chains between said chains to a point above the upper runs of said chains, means for intermittently moving said hurdles downwardly in opposite direction, said hurdles being transferred upwardly and downwardly above said conveying means, said upward anddownward movement of said hurdles taking place at spaced points along said upper runs and the intermittent movements of said hurdles being timed to take place whilesaid chains are stopped.

8. An apparatus of the class described comprising a pair of endless spaced synchronously intermittently operated chains having the upper runs thereof disposed substantially in a horizontal plane, oppositely mounted lugs on said chains, carrier sheets, means on said sheets cooperating with said lugs, hurdles having a. width less than the spacing of said chains cooperating with said sheets, means for intermittently moving said hurdles upwardly from a point below said upper runs of said chains between said chains to a point above the upper runs of said chains, means for intermittently moving said hurdles downwardly in opposite direction said hurdles being transferred upwardly and downwardly above said conveying means, said upward and downward movement of said hurdles taking place at spaced points along said upper runs and the intermittent movements of said hurdles being timed to take place while 'said chains are stopped.

9. An apparatus of the class .described comprising a pair of endless spaced synchronously intermittently operated chains having the upper runs thereof disposed substantially in a horizontal plane, oppositelymounted feeding means on said chains, carrier sheets, cross bars on said carrier sheets cooperating with said feeding means, hurdles having a width less than thespacing of said chains cooperating with said sheets, means for intermittently moving said hurdles upwardly from a point below the upper runs of said-chains between said chains to a.

means for aligning said hurdles during their movement with said upper runs to receive said sheets therefrom and return said sheets thereto.

FRITZ NESTMANN. 

